Process of making and filling bags



April 24, 1928. 1,666,886

A. M. BATES PROCESS OF MAKING AND FILLING BAGS Filed April 23, 1 23 EEE INVENT'ELR. Mum 0 mm, mm? W Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

UNITED STATES [PATENT OFFICE.

ADELMER M. BATES, or cmcaeo,

BATES VALVE BAG conrona'rron, DELAWARE.

PROCESS OF MAKING AND FILLING BAGS.

Application filed April 23, 19 Serial No. 633,904.

The principal object of my invention is provide filled bags with the use of a min1-' which bags mum amount of bag forming material.

Another object is to reduce to a minimum the amount of bag production of bags containing various weights of filling material.

Another object of my invention is to mark the bag material in such a manner that the v filled bags produced therefrom will be properly marked without interfering with the economical use ofthe material.

The principal difiiculties the invention is intended to overcome arise in the following manner: 7

The commercial demand is for bags con-v taining charges of uniform weight, and accordingly the size of the charge is deter-v mined by weight, not by bulk. The materials customarily bagged do not run of even density or specific gravity throughout, with the consequence that uniform weights of a ample, a fivepound charge of comparatively dense salt is less bulky than an equal weight of comparatively loose salt, so that different five pound charges of salt will be of difi'erent bulk. The bulkiest charge encountered will 1 be materially more bulky than the average charge,and the average charge materiall more is obvious that all bags completely made up in advance of filling must be largeenou'gh to contain the bulkiest charge, otherwise some of the packages will be underweight. The necessary result is that the bags are made materially larger contain the average charge.

here the charge is filled into the tube and then the filled end of-the tube is' closed and severed to form a filled bag, as in the patents mentionedabove, and the closing-means and the support for the filled end have-a fixed relation,"or a relation not dependent upon the bulk of the individual charge being dealt forming material whichmust be kept on hand in preparation for the given material have varying bulks. For ex bulky than the least bulky charge. t

than is needed to:

ply of five pound with, the relation must be such that eachbag will be long enough to enclose the bulkiest charge. The result is the same as where the individual bags are made up in advance of filling, that is, the bags are materially larger than are required for the average charge. It is customary to print brands at uniform intervals upon the strips of material from are tobe'formed, and this has furnished an added incentive to make the bags of uniform size, so that the brands will be properly placed on the finished bags.

In carrying out both of the above processes, each bagmust tain the bulkiest charge,.and the practice has been to form them uniformly of that 'required size, thus requiring a considerable amount of bag making material in excess of that which would be needed to make each bag justlarge enough to contain theparticular charge which is actually filled into it,

which loss is obviated by my invention.

Another element of saving that results from my invention is due to the fact that the width of the material from which bags are made does not run uniform. For example, a length of bag cloth, as it comes from the loom, isirom one to two inches wider at its widest point than it is at its narrowest point, and under the practice of making all bags of uniform length, the narrowest must be wide enough to contain the bulkiest charge, and there is no use in any bag being wider than the narrowest. For this reason it is customary to trim the cloth to uniform width before making bags therefrom, and a considerable amount of, material, including the strong selvage edge, is cut away by the trim mmg.

Many materials are sold in bags having a fixed price, the weight of a charge in a ackage, instead of the rice of the pee age, varying with the mar et. For example, table salt is sold largely in five cent bags and ten cent bags. For a time, conditions may demand filling five pound salt bags for the ten cent trade. Obviously, a sufficient supbags or bag material must be prepared to meet this demand. But a sudden change in the market may cause an immediate demand for four, four and-onehalf, five and one-half, or six pound bags,

be large enough to conion and preparation must be made to meet this demand, should it occur. The consequence is that much money and storage space is tied up in bags and bag-material prepared to meet possible demands, and even then suddenly changed demands cannot be fully anticipated.

By my method each bag is made just large enough to contain the individual charge which is actually filled into it. there is no wasteful trimming. and the amount of bag material that mustbe prepared to meet varying demands is reduced to a minimum.

Other features of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification:

Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates my bag filling and closing process.

Fig. 2 shows a portion of a length of printed bag forming material.

Figs. 3. 4 and 5 show three of the bags produced by my process.

According to my process. an end of bag tubing 1 is drawn from a filling tube 2, preferably over a spreading member 3 and under a retaining member 4. The drawn-off end is closed, and then a charge of filling material is fed through the feeding tube into the closed end of the bag tube. After the charge has been suitably compacted, the walls of the bag tube' are brought together immediately above the charge, two closures are made, as by sewing seams at the points indicated by dotted lines 5 and 6 on 1, and the tube is severed between the closures. as along the line 7, thus completing the filled bag.

The closures are made as closely as practicable to the upper end of the charge, the charge being the guide, and no attention is paid to the distance between the closed end and the point being closed. nor to the location of any mark which the tubes may have thereon. flu this way the bag tubing is utilized without any waste, each bag being formed of as short a length of tubing as will contain the particular charge filledthereinto.

In making bag tubing for use in such a fillingmethod, it is feasil'ile to utilize all of a length of material, without trimming. A. length of material 8 with irregular selvage edges 9, 10, as shown in Fig. 2, may have these irregular edges united to form one tube, or the strip may be cut lengthwise, as at 11, and each selvage edge united to a cut edge'to form two tubes, or the length may be cut into more than two strips, as by cubting along dotted linesindicated at 12. 'In any case, there is no need of trimming,-an'd the full width of each strip is utilized, the tube being made of as large diameter at each point as the width of the strip at that point will allow. In this way the waste due to trimming is avoided, and the strength of the selvage edges is retained in the seams. The result will be filled bags of different lengths and widths, as illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, but none of the bag making material is wasted.

It is usually desirable to have some form of marking on the finished bags. It is obvious that the desired marks may be placed upon the bags in any suitable manner after they are filled, or it would be possible to place all desired marks upon them as a partof the filling process, the marks being placed upon the bag tube as it is fed to the filling point. However, I prefer to print the brands on the length of bag material in an all-over design. such as indicated by 13, Fig. 2, the size and relation of the marks being such that at least one complete mark will appear upon each bag, no matter how the material is cut to form the bag. In this way the bags are properly marked without any attention to the location of the marks during the filling, closing andsevering process.

All desired markings may be included in this all-over design where only one weight of charge is to be tilled into any bag tobe made from a given length: but where the demand fluctuates as to the weight of therharge, the

weight mark may be omitted from the allover design, and only those marks included which indicate origin, material, or other matter which does not change with changing weights of charges. Then the same tube may be used with quite a variation in weights of charges, and a still greater variation of charges may be provided for without any change in the printed material, by varying the number of strips into which a tube is cut.

My invention is in part applicable to the manufacture of unfilled bags inasmuch as the size and location of the brand marksmake it possible to utilize a single strip of bag fabric or bag tubing to manufacture bags of various sizes,,each one containing properly located brand marks.

If it is desired to have a single brand mark on each package, it may be applied-to the space 14 between the bottom of the filling tube and the sewing mechanism, or the printing mechanism may be located so as to rint p the marks immediately before the to e isformed in the type of apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, and in either case the printing will 1'20 7 be done only a few hag lengths from the closed end of the tube and the brand marks.

so located as to come approximately in the center of a side of the filled package.

Where the same all-over design is used on bags containing different weights, the weight may be impressed subsequently, fer to do it as a part of the bag filling, clos ing and severing process. As the weight mark is liable to partially overlap some portion of the all-over design, I prefer to make and I prethe weight mark of a different color from the all-over design, so that it may be clearly seen in spite of such partial overlapping.

When desired, each alternatemar 0 the altover design may be reversed, so that it may be read from either end of the bag, and other changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making filled bags, which consists in marking bag fabric with a series of marks so placed and of such size that the smallest contemplated bag will show at least one complete mark, however the material is cut to form such bag, forming a tube from the marked fabric, filling successive properly weighed charges into the tube, closing the tube adjacent each successive charge, the charge being the guide, and severing the tube adjacent each closure.

2. The method of making filled bags, which consists in marking bag fabric with a series of marks so placed and of such size that the smallest contemplated bag will show at least one complete mark, however the material is cut to form such bag, forming the fabric into strips of such width that the entire fabric is utilized without trimming, forming a tube from a strip, filling successive properly weighed charges into the tube, closing the tube adjacent each successive charge, the charge being the guide, and severing the tube adjacent each closure.

3. The method of making filled bags, which consists in marking bag fabric with a series of marks so placed and of such size that the smallest contemplated bag will show at least one complete mark, however the material is cut to form such bag, forming the fabric into strips of such width that the entire fabric is utilized without trimming, forming a strip into a tube having at each point the maximum diameter the width of the strip at that point will warrant, fill ing successive properly weighed charges into the tube, closing the tube adjacent each successive charge, the charge being the guide, and severing the tube adjacent each closure.

4. The method of making filled bags, which consists in marking bag fabric with a series of marks which varied for bags containing different weights of material, the marks being so placed and of such size that the smallest contemplated bag will show at least one complete mark, however the material is cut to form such bag, forming a tube from the marked fabric, filling successive properly weighted charges into the tube, closing the tube adjacent each successive charge, the charge being the guide, severing the tube adjacent each closure, and marking the weight on each bag as a part of the bag forming and filling operation.

5. The method of making filled bags,

do not need to be which consists in marking bag fabric with a series of marks which do not need to be varied for bags containing diiferent weights of material, the marks being so placed and of such size that the smallest contemplated bag will show at least one complete mark, however the material is cut to form such bag. and each alternate mark being reversed, forming the fabric into strips of such width that the entire fabric is utilized withouttrimming, forming the strips into tubes having at each point the maximum diameter the width of the strip at that point will warrant, filling successive properly weighed charges into each tube, and closing each tube adjacent each successive charge, the charge being the guide, severing adjacent each closure, and marking the weight on each bag as a part of the bag forming and filling operation.

6. The method of making filled bags,

which consists in marking bag fabric with a series of marks which do not need to be varied for bags containing different weights of material, the marks being so placed an of such size that the smallest contemplated bag will show at least one complete mark, however the material is cut to form such bag, forming a tube from the marked fabric, filling successive properly weighed charges into the tube, closing the tube adjacent each successive charge, the charge being the guide, severing the tube adjacent each closure, and marking the weight on each bag as a part of the bag forming and filling operation, the weight mark being made of a different color from the previously formed marks.

I 7. The method of making filled bags, which consists in marking bag fabric with a series of marks which do not need to be varied for bags containing difierent weights of material, the marks being so placed and of such size that the smallest contemplated bag will show at least one perfect mark, however the material is cut to form such bag, and each alternate mark being reversed, forming the fabric into strips of such width that the entire fabric is utilized without trimming, forming the strips into tubes havin at each point the maximum diameter the width of the strip at that point will Warrant, filling successive properly weighed charges into each tube, and closing each tube adjacent each successive charge, the charge being the guide, severing adjacent each closure, and marking the weight on each bag as a part of the bag forming and filling operation, the weight mark being made of a different color from the previously formed marks.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

ADELMER M. BATES. 

